First, he’s the captain. Or The Captain. And you know who that is. A guy with a knack for the dramatic, a guy who responds to pressure, a guy who, at the biggest most crucial times comes up with his biggest performances.

Second, he wears No. 2, a homegrown guy who never wanted to play anywhere but New York, and who wanted to spend his whole life here, and a guy who was so instrumental in all the success his team had (although the Rangers’ No. 2 was asked to leave).

Third, he reminds me of No. 9, the guy who just appreciates all he has, all he does. A guy who will do anything to win. And a guy who, away from the arena, is the type you admire. You tell young kids watching to make sure they appreciate this guy, because these don’t come along very often. They do the right thing, say the right thing, carry themselves in the right way, and put the team ahead of themselves.

And I’ll say this about Jeter. He’s not the greatest ballplayer ever. He may not even be the best on his current team (Mariano Rivera will probably be more of a slam-dunk Hall of Famer; Don Mattingly might have been a better all-around player) but Jeter is the most meaningful Yankee since Mickey Mantle.

More, even though his stats are declining, and his range has diminished, and people think he won’t ever hit near .300 again and maybe he shouldn’t even be the leadoff hitter in the second half of this Yankees season, I say this: Pretty much any serious contender in baseball, or teams that hope to contend, would be better off this year with Jeter as their shortstop than the guys they have playing short right now.

247 Comments

Hey Carp, I was there too. My first time at the new Stadium. Got the tix as a Father’s Day gift. What a great day. I cracked up when they put Captain Clutch up on the ribbon, i think it was after hit #5.

Carp, I guess these days are the trade-off in your career. Sometimes, over the years, covering the teams becomes drudgery, BUT, you’re “in the building” for major sports accomplishments!! And of course, more so than us fans, you get to rub elbows with our heroes!! Pretty much the perks of the job. And what you say is right on; as much as some media and fans want to minimize what Derek Jeter is as a player today, I bet half of the teams in MLB would love to have #2 as their shortstop right now. Also right on is your comparison to Gravy. Jeter is the type of athlete Dad’s would want their sons to emulate. No doubt, whether you’re a Yankee hater or not, Jeter just does it right!!

And this one – Figure both Cally and Dubinsky are going to fall in the $4 million range, plus or minus $500,000. I say $8.5 million gets them both signed. Boyle is a bit of a wildcard. They’re going to pay him at least as much as Rupp, so probably $1.75 million. Maybe $2 million. Either way, I see the Rangers walking away with about $2 million in cap space, according to capgeek.com. I don’t think that’s with Redden’s contract factored in.

Orr(from the last post) – I really wanted Esposito, but when Cherepanov dropped like he did, I had no problem with the pick. Such a bummer. And to think: He might have been the missing winger on the line with Richards and Gaborik. I always wonder what might have happened if the Rangers might have convinced him to come over to play juniors. He would still be alive today. What a tragedy.

Not a Yankees fans (my loyalty lies with the Mets), but I have always respected Jeter. A darn good ballplayer who played his best under pressure. If that isnt’t a textbook definition of clutch, I don’t know what is.

Messier scored his 500th against Calgary on an off wing wrister. goalie in net, and goal was a hat trick goal. I think the one you are thinking of Carp, was when he passed Howe. that was an empty netter.

Jeter is a lot like Marc Staal. I’ll explain.
the fans that like Jeter really overrate how good he is, and the fans that don’t like him really underrate how good Jeter is. I think that is the same with Staal.

not a yankees fan but congrats to Derek Jeter on his milestone. Carp, I too thought you meant you spent some time with Drury lmao!! Gotta say, Jeter’s done it the right way, smart not to marry while he’s still playing, won’t have to divy up his multi millions to some chick looking for a quick payday!

I’ll be honest here, I absolutely hate baseball and could care less about the players or the yankees. Tho only baseball team I even notice is the Rangers because every time I see a blurb about them, I think of our boys. That guy Hamilton that plays for them sure seems to endure…

Jeter seems like a decent guy, so great for him and I think it is great for you Carp that it was a super moment for you.

Carp, I’m happy that you were able to witness such a great moment in NY sports history. The way Jeter did it made it so very special (5 for 5…wow!). And, how about the story of the kid who gave the homerun ball back to Jeter? He stood make at least a few hundred grand $$ on that ball. Only in NYC. Class all around…he’s the real Captain Clutch…

I’m a Yankees fan but I don’t talk baseball here out of respect to the Boneheads. I have no problem hating on the the NBA here though ;)

And, Jeter always has the hottest girlfriends…Minka Kelly (Wow!)

A-Ro(i)d…not so much…

—

Ok, back to hockey…who’s going to center Avery and play opposite wing on the top line?

ilb, my nails have been doing well (except for July 1/2 when B Rich cost me one nail). I will be in great shape for the season.

Anyone out there with a literary interest in things, who lives in the NY metro area, you must see the Centennial Exhibit at the NY Public Library on 5th @ 42nd St. Check out the library site at http://www.nypl.org for details.

I still think cally should get staal dollars in arby and dubi should get around 3 to OPG dollars in arby.

speaking of which, I meant to bring this up the other day…I don’t hate OPG, I feel about him the same way I felt about drury, Over Paid. I didn’t despise drury like some, I thought he did a good job for what he was, he was just overpaid badly. OPG does a decent job and if he made 1.5 mil per season, it wouldn’t be an issue. Right now for what sauer signed for OPG looks even more OPG!! I’d take sauer in a heartbeat over OPG and I think sauer should play more than OPG.

That being said, if someone asked OPG at his current pay or kaber-la…duh, I’ll take OPG, same if it was pitkanen, or poti, or the list goes on that there are a lot of d men that I would take OPG over even at his current salary. But I would take orpik or letang or chara or bieksa or a lot of d men over OPG as well. I don’t hate the guy, hate his salary!

Hey Carp- I’m at my mother’s in Harrison and just had the pleasure of reading one of your articles in the actual printed form for the first time in like 3 years lol. Great write up on Jeter. Seriously. I enjoyed it.

And I’m not saying Sour Power is a bad d-man. He’s solid, and I love the guy, but everything everyone says aboot him, they said aboot Girardi, during his rookie year when he *wasn’t* going against the top lines in the NHL.

Trade Girardi, replace him with Sour Power, and in three years, NYR fans might say the +same+ things they’re saying aboot Girardi now, complaining aboot Sour Power, aboot how he’s overpaid, he can’t defend a 2 on 1, etc. That’s just the way it goes.

orr
I agree most would take him at what he makes now, I mean kaber-la. pitkanen, jovo, and hamrlik all got basically 3.5 mil plus per season, so obviously to most of us the scale is skewed. So trade the guy then. He is a lighter hitting version of volchenkov and that is it.

He showed that he is lost when not paired with staal…not sure that is what we really need, an overpaid body surfer that can only play with one partner, but I agree it could be worse!

Wicky and Jimbo, I actually did NOT go looking for it yesterday. I wound up at Jiffy Lube for about an hour (and they soaked me $200 for an oil change and work on my radiator), then headed to the mall and the movies. It was after 6 when I got out so I scrubbed the deli search til next weekend.

I can’t fairly compare Girardi and Sauer because they are very different players. They each bring something different to the table. That said, if Sauer was put on the top pairing with Stahl, I don’t think he would struggle or look out of place handling it…he played +a lot+ of quality minutes last season…

I hope you find it next weekend – but if you don’t, try one of the places that I sent you the links to. The one with the Carnegie pastrami looks promising – if I was in St. Loo, I would give it a try myself, definitely!

I’m sorry but a class act doesent except a ball worth a few hundred thousand dollars from a young fan whos in college debt and then minutes later say the ball didnt mean much. In his interviews he said he didnt think about even trying to get the ball until someone mentioned it to him. Who says that. Then says he held the ball in his hand and it was just a ball like every other. JUST A BALL this kid did a great thing and gave you the 3000th hit ball thats worth gold and your too self centered to show a little thanks to the kid. He shook his hand showed no emotion and the yanks hooked him up with seats and bats and balls. But guess what the IRS Will be knocking at his door cause he has to claim that stuff. If jeter was a class act he would have done the right thing cut a check to the kid for the ball. He is a millionaire…Poor kid and I’m a huge yankee fan so it bothered me

Carp, i enjoyed the article and agreed with most of it. BUT how is mattingly an all around better player than jeter? i love mattingly but he had 7 good seasons in his career, Jeter has had 15 seasons and is great all around as well. 3,000 hits, gold gloves, steals, some power, clutch in the post season and has dated 10 of the hottest girls on the planet. Jeter wins.
Also how can you hint that Mariano is a sure bet first time hall of famer but Jeter isnt? that makes no sense.

Dan…I kind of disagree. First thing I thought when that guy caught the ball is, I hope he gives it back and doesn’t wrestle for money. Of course the team or Jeter could afford it, but it’s the principle. As I said earlier (yesterday?) I’d give the GWG puck from ’94 back if by some freak of physics and nature a scored puck could fly into the seats :)
It’s called going the right thing and not being a greedy carcillo. Besides which, they gave him tons of stuff he can sell if he wants. I think he’s happiest with the box seats he got through the season and the moment.

mama I agree he did the right thing. But I think it was like jeter expected it. Hes got the millionaire tainted view. This kid just gave you a ball thats valued as gold to many and the comments he made were down right a slap in the face to the kid whos in debt. 1961 roger maris broke home runs the fan that caught the ball offered it to maris. Maris said you caught it do what you like with it get the money for it. If i was the kid id go to a few games sell the rest to pay for what hes ganna owe the IRS when he claims everything. But as i said it was more jeters comments that irked me the most. Haa im done with my rant sorry guys!!!

Here is the call …..”They drop them. THE PRUST throws a left, right, left, another right, a left to the body…. Down goes carcillo, down goes carcillo, down goes carcillo…. The winner and still undefeated…….No. 8, from the ny rangers, THHHEEEEEE PRRRRRRRRUUSSSSSSTTTTT.”

Dan, how do you know he isn’t doing it tomorrow? Quietly. He is a humble guy who doesn’t want it to be too official, doesn’t want too many people to know he is throwing his money around. How does anyone know that he isn’t calling this kid tomorrow and asking him whether this kid wants him to pay off his loans or he wants him to give the money to some charity instead? I’m not suggesting it’s going to happen. But I also don’t know if it isn’t.

I disagree that a player with measurably reduced defensive range, and with his hitting skills dramatically tailing off, should be maintained in the critically-important lead-off slot. You can get by on “emotion” for just so long. Here is a sobering fact: when the lead-off hitter in an inning reaches first base, MLB teams score an average of 7.5 runs per nine innings. When the inning lead-off hitter is retired, MLB teams score an average of 2.5 runs per nine innings. So that when your formerly efficient and productive lead-off hitter is about done, hesitation to make the mandated change, for sentimental reasons and from the delusion that he can recapture his youthful skills, is Death Valley to a team’s championships hopes.

As compelling and seductive as the Derek Jeter “larger than life” Hollywood saga is, the Yankees must come to grips that any edge they concede to the Boston Red Sox could be the difference-maker in their upcoming post-season show down. Now that Jeter has his 3,000 hits, it is time to bring team-first considerations to the fore. From here on Jeter becomes an albatross the Yankees need to work around, while at the same time not tarnishing his image or their P.R. standing. Very tough juggling act, but one which coould undermine this entire season if they botch it, badly.

Jeter was great – Jeter is done, is where we are right now. To pretend otherwise is to invite disaster.

I hate baseball and basketball, but the way I see it is this blog is a great big family and if baseball or whatever is the topic of the day and you don’t like it, constructively post about other things. If you can not do that, well, maybe you just shouldn’t say anything and leave family matters to family!

I can’t help shaking the feeling that Slats will trade for a veteran defenseman. A quick look around the league tells me we will either trade for Hal Gill, Jaro Spacek, Willie Mitchell, or Sean O’Donnell. Either that or signing Brent Sopel.

carp and 4ever,
You guys didn’t know, one a day works for dolan and apparently dolan is paying richards in singles. So one a day has been counting them and putting them in stacks of fifty to pay richards salary.

The Mick said in an interview that “Horace Clarke was the greatest player that he ever saw….” when asked, better than Joe D? ted williams?….The Mick said that the one player he would want at bat with the chance to win…none other than #20, Horace Clarke…

i will also type into the night alone in my thoughts as all others enter their slumber….but i am comforted by knowing what i know and realizing what i realize is more than most will ever…thus, tis be done will be done…

If hitting were not about “Muscle,” Woody Allen would rank up there with Babe Ruth as the two greatest sluggers of all time. And if Babe Ruth had been built like a toothpick, he would have been a sensational movie director. lol

For NINE years Horace Clark dragged the Yankees offense down by batting lead-off. Bill James wrote volumes about Ralph Houck’s insistence on leading off with little middle infielders who could not hit and would not take the walk to help the team. Bill James ranks Horace Clark among the Worst ballplayers of all time. The Yankees won nothing during the Horace Clark years. But let’s get a big assist to “The Major” for being dumber than cement as a manager.

And by the way, The Mick was having fun with that reporter. Mick had a great tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. He put of lot of big town “sophisticated” reporters on, and they fell right into it. He was not such a dumb-arce Okie plow boy after paling around with Billy and Whitey for a few years.

My God, what dreadful career numbers: Horace Clark, lifetime, 10 years in New York and a cup of java in San Diego…

BA .256 OBP .308 SLG. .313. Of course the standards of excellence are a .300 BA, a .400 OBP, and a .500 SLG. Horace Clarke was positively atrocious, yet The Major penciled him in at the top of the lineup for nine-10 years. That makes The Major the original version of Charlie Manuel, who wouldn’t know a ballplayer from a circus elephant if he saw one.

The worst Clarke which stands out is his .308 OBP. It is derelict for a manager not to be able to find a lead-off hitter who is over .350 OBP, if he wants his team to be competitive.

Horace Clarke over Joe D. and Teddy Ballgame with the game on the line? Mick was kidding but since he was a “Big Town God” the morons down at the Post took his every word as gospel. Shame on them, they should been vending newspapers, not writing columns in them.